H E Ahmad bin Mohamed Al Sayed, Minister of State & Chairman of Free Zones Authority; H E Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud Al Thani, QCB Governor; and other digintories look on as Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, CEO, Qatar Investment Authority; and
DOHA: Qatar Investment Authority CEO Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani and the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán jointly opened the ‘Iberdrola Innovation Middle East Center’, the new R&D&I hub developed by Iberdrola in Doha, yesterday.
Iberdrola is a leading multinational group in the energy sector and number one Spanish energy group.
The event was held in the presence of H E Ahmad bin Mohamed Al Sayed, Minister of State & Chairman of Free Zones Authority; H E Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud Al Thani, Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Governor; Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Kahramaa; and Ignacio Escobar, Spanish Ambassador to Qatar.
Focused on the challenges posed by the digitization of energy systems, the ‘Iberdrola Innovation Middle East’ is a new technology hub from which the company is developing innovation and consultancy services in three key areas: smart grids, system integration of renewable sources and energy efficiency.
Located at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) in Doha, the center aims at releasing new products and services for the digital utility, working at the intersection of energy and information and communication technologies.
From this facility the company will carry out the digitization of the country’s electricity system through smart networks, renewables and energy efficiency solutions.
Being fully aligned with the State of Qatar’s innovation strategy, Iberdrola and its technology partners are committed to making an outstanding contribution towards fulfilling Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives, which guide the economic, social, human and environmental development of the country.
Speaking on the occasion Sheikh Abdulla said:“We value our partnership with Iberdrola; being ranked as number 1 in Europe and 5th Worldwide. With QIA being a major shareholder at Iberdrola we would like to welcome their Innovation Middle East- new technology hub here at Qatar and within Qatar science & Technology park premises and we are looking forward to more partnerships through the different companies that we are major investors in.”
Dr Hamad Al Ibrahim, Executive VP of Qatar Foundation R&D, who delivered the opening address on behalf of Qatar Foundation said:’ “We look forward to seeing great things emerge from this Center, and we hope that it will be a catalyst for more technology companies to join us in accelerating the development of their products, and in helping to make Qatar a global hub of research, development, and tech innovation.”
Ignacio Galán said: “As part of Iberdrola’s commitment with Qatar, I’m pleased to inaugurate today the ‘Iberdrola Innovation Center Middle East’ which, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives, is meant to become a technology benchmark for the energy industry through an open innovation program in partnership with our associates and universities. It will offer energy services to improve productivity and the efficiency of customers and consumers, and will offer technical training focused on smart grids.”
In addition to its important role as a base for research, ‘Iberdrola Innovation Middle East ’is tasked with serving as the central point of the Iberdrola group’s activities in the Middle East.
‘Iberdrola Innovation Middle East’the Managing Director, Santiago Bañales, presented the innovation and technology consultancy projects being implemented in Qatar and the Middle East,together with a guided tour of the training facilities and smart grid lab.
The event included three technical workshops coordinated by the team of Iberdrola and the several universities, institutions and companies partnering in the different innovation projects.
Also, Iberdrola signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) to create a partnership for research cooperation, educational development and the exchange of staff, scholars and students.
As part of the agreement, the two parties will jointly work on securing reliable smart grids, strengthening pre-existing smart grid monitoring systems to improve efficiency, and the development of performance-enhancing hybrid technologies.
